


Will to Live

by DoctorMerlinReid



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, Gen, References to Depression, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-08 19:34:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14700759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctorMerlinReid/pseuds/DoctorMerlinReid
Summary: "We are dedicated to preventing teen suicide by improving the lives and the'Will To Live' of teenagers everywhere through education about mental health and encouraging them to recognize the love and hope that exists in each other." This is the mission statement of the Will to Live Foundation and I aim to spread that message through fanfiction. Please read warnings.





	Will to Live

RRRRRR

"Hey Wally!" Rudy West called out to his son. He rolled his eyes fondly at the fluff of wild red hair that popped out from beneath a veritable mountain of pillows.

Wally's eyes were bright despite the fact that Rudy's call had obviously just woken him, "Hm? Oh, yeah, sup dad? Is it time to get up?"

"Yeah kiddo. Just get dressed and grab your backpack. I'll get you some breakfast for the ride and you can just eat some gum or something instead of brushing your teeth this morning. Don't expect this to be a regular thing, though, young man." Rudy warned, actually going so far as to shake his finger at the teenaged superhero.

He left his son's room to the sound of bright laughter and a sarcastic, "Uh huh, sure thing dad!" Rudy chuckled to himself as he left, rolling his eyes like he was sure Wally was doing at that moment.

The West family had never been particularly close to each other. It probably stemmed from Rudy growing up in a family where he constantly felt ostracized and set aside. Maybe a little bit of it came from the fact that Mary and Rudy hadn't married out of any sort of love, but instead the idea that they didn't want their child to be born to unmarried, separated parents. A lot of the problem probably also came from the fact that Wally had always seemed to like his Aunt and Uncle more than he liked his own parents. That was very likely Rudy and Mary's own fault, but it wasn't important anymore. Wally had taken the time to sit the three of them down and talk through their problems. They were closer now and getting closer with each day.

A year ago, this scene wouldn't have happened. Rudy would have never let Wally join the track team when he could have been studying for his advanced and accelerated and honors and college courses. Mary would never have let Wally join that Team the boy was on when he could have been pretending to be normal.

Wally's powers had, honestly, been the breaking point in the family. Wally had started spending all of his time with Barry to get training or whatnot and he was always rushing off to Central to help or to save people. Beyond that, the idea of superpowers had disturbed Mary and Rudy. It wasn't natural. It wasn't how humans were supposed to be and it made them uncomfortable. Beyond that even, powers were dangerous. If someone found out you were a metahuman, you were an instant target because there were other people out there who thought superpowers were just as unnatural as Rudy and Mary thought they were.

But they addressed that when the three of them talked. Rudy and Mary explained their concerns about the powers and Wally dredged up some YouTube videos of himself rescuing people. He showed them how happy the people he saved were. He showed them how even the villains were concerned when he was hurt. He showed them how amazing and beautiful and powerful his abilities were and the West family finally started to knit back together. Wally made an effort to not be gone as much and Rudy and Mary made an effort to spend the time he was at home together. They still weren't a perfect family, but they were understanding of each other and they were willing to talk through any problems they came across. The whole idea of a family was a work in progress, but the whole family was willing to work through it.

And now, Mary was kissing Rudy goodbye and playfully ruffling Wally's hair before Rudy drove Wally to track practice before heading off to work. Wally laughed brightly at all the right points and gave his dad a half hug as he left even though he was in front of his friends and would surely be teased for it. And Rudy was glad that the day had been so great.

When he got home that night, Wally was already there, taking his shoes off at the door and zipping up the stairs to drop off his backpack before zipping back down towards the kitchen. He waved at Rudy before disappearing around the corner where Rudy could already hear Mary playfully yelling, "Stop taking that food, young man! That's for dinner!"

Wally defended, "It looked a little off, so I was just trying to make sure that it wouldn't, like, poison you guys or something!"

Rudy chuckled at Mary's response, "Oh, so my cooking is bad enough that you think it could be poisonous?"

He walked in to Wally opening and closing his mouth with wide eyes while Mary stared at him sternly, spatula pointed at his outstretched hand. Rudy laughed and smacked Wally on the shoulder, "You might as well learn this now, son, the best thing to do in this situation is complement her and then offer your services. The woman's rule always reigns supreme."

"You got that right." Mary said tartly, but Rudy could see the edges of a smile tucked beneath that stern gaze.

Wally deflated and mumbled, "Yeah, yeah, I'm starting to get that."

Rudy glanced at him curiously even as he gave Mary a small kiss, "That girlfriend of yours already got you whipped?"

"No!" Wally answered immediately, puffing back up before deflating again, "I do not have a girlfriend! Just because I maybe have a tiny,  _tiny_  crush on her doesn't mean I have a girlfriend!" He smiled a little, love-struck-puppy smile and Rudy wanted to roll his eyes.

Mary sniffed from her spot at the stove, popping things from the pan onto plates, "This is the girl that you refuse to let us meet?"

"Mom…" Wally whined, "We're not even  _dating_. Besides, even as friends we're still dancing around the issues of secret identities. If our civilian identities started hanging out while our superhero identities became better friends, then suddenly it becomes that much easier to make the jump to figuring out our identities. And even if no one makes that connection, then if someone figures out one of our secret identities, then the other's becomes forfeit. We need to not only start dating, but also figure that out before we can start the whole 'meeting the parents' process."

Mary smiled, ruffling his hair, "I know, kiddo. I just want to meet the girl who makes you so happy." Wally smiled back, soft and happy. Rudy felt a part of him settle. Mary pulled back, "Alright, let's get on with supper then, yeah?"

"You know my answer to that will always be  _yes please_." Wally said, eagerly zipping all of the plates and glasses over to the table, the sound of Rudy and Mary's laughter providing a pleasant backdrop.

As they started digging into their food, Mary started up their little tradition, "I was walking over to that deli that I like – you know the one – and this little girl was standing in the middle of the street, bawling her eyes out. My mothering instincts naturally kicked in and I ushered her out of the street, pulling her over to the deli and trying to calm her down as I asked the guy there if he'd seen where her parents went. He said he had no clue and that she just showed up out of nowhere. So, I bought her a sandwich and just sat with her as I called the police and told them that I had a little girl who couldn't tell me her name or where her family was. They said that there was a distraught father with them who was pretty sure that the girl was his. In a few minutes, the father came, and the girl looked so happy. Oh, you should have seen her face. And the father's. He was so relieved. He couldn't stop thanking me and I just felt my heart swell. This must be how you feel, huh, Wally?"

Wally grinned and smiled before announcing brightly, "Ralph won his mile today! The team was so happy. I mean, you saw him run during tryouts. I don't know what Coach saw in him that day, but it was apparently right. Everyone was so proud of him. He got the MVP of the year, right there. Normally that's awarded way later in the season, but everyone knew that he deserved it." It was a tradition they had started the day they'd decided to sit down and really talk to each other. They had decided that they were going to take time at dinner every night to tell each other the highlight of their day. It was a tradition that had served them well and had gone a long way towards making sure that all of them were up to date in each other's lives.

Rudy realized that Wally was done talking and his lips twitched, trying to contain the smile that had been struggling to break through all evening, "Well, I walked into the office today and Roger, my boss of course, pointed at me and told me to go into his office. There was another business exec in there, looking all official in his fancy suit – certainly looking like his pay grade was a lot higher than mine. And Roger starts going on about this project that the exec was on. I was a little confused. This wasn't a project that I was on. I hadn't even heard of the project. Then Roger said that he wanted me to head the project." There were dawning smiles on his wife and son's faces as they started to realize what was going on. Rudy continued stoically, "I obviously replied that my position wasn't high enough to work on that project. And Roger just smiled at me and said, not anymore."

Mary squealed the last line to his story before he could, "You were promoted!"

He didn't even feel upset, joy bubbling up through him as he laughed and threw his hands in the air, "Yes! Yes, I've been promoted! The pay raise is unbelievable. We'll be able to put a lot more money towards your college, son."

Mary jumped up and kissed Rudy on the cheek before turning his head and kissing him lightly on the lips, a promise for more. Wally was grinning cheek to cheek, "That's great, dad!"

Rudy opened his mouth to say something back, but a loud beeping interrupted him. Wally winced apologetically and Rudy immediately knew what it had come from. He wet his lips, "You have to go."

There was something pained in Wally's eyes. He obviously didn't want to  _want to_  go, but there was always a part of him that was a hero and would always leave when he was called. Rudy tried to give him a smile, "Go on, kid. Go save someone."

Wally opened his mouth to say something, but he closed his mouth and stood back from the table, zipping into his costume, "Love you Mom. Love you Dad. Really, great job on the promotion!" And then he was gone, disappeared into the evening sun, nothing but a few sparks left behind.

Mary slumped over the table, staring forlornly at Wally's plate, "Maybe we should talk this whole superhero thing over again." Rudy stared at her, startled and she frowned, "No, I'm serious! He doesn't get a chance to be a kid. Because he's just a kid. He's  _sixteen_  years old, Rudy. I never imagined that I would have to worry about my sixteen year old – Christ, my  _twelve year old_ ; he's been doing this since then! – I never thought I'd have to worry about him  _dying_  before he'd even left to go to college. I always imagined I get to protect him and here he is saving the world. And don't think that I don't see those news articles on the internet! I saw the one where those people threw stones and trash at him and Barry because they're… metahumans. And don't think that I don't hear those nightmares he has. He shouldn't have to deal with that!" She stopped, breathing hard, eyes prickling with tears.

Rudy clasped her hand comfortingly in his own, staring her in the eyes, "Mary, dear, at this point, I don't think there's anything we can you. You say that you want him to stop because he never got a chance to be a kid. Taking away his ability to be a hero won't help. He's lost his childhood already. He lost it to that scary smart brain and a need to help people. He lost it to science and superpowers. Taking away his ability to save people won't help him get back something that's already lost. It will only ostracize him and make him feel useless. You'll be taking away an essential part of him."

"I know! I know, it's just… it hurts to see my baby hurt and know that there's nothing I can do to help." Mary sniffled.

"We just need to be there." Rudy soothed, kissing her lightly on the nose. She gave him a watery smile and he smiled back, kissing her again before going back to their dinner. He winked at her, "Now. About that pay raise. There's this couple's cruise I was looking at." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and she laughed before winking back. He decided he was going to book that vacation first thing tomorrow morning.

After dinner, the two of them showered and settled down to the TV, very pointedly not watching the news channels. They didn't want to see their baby fighting villains.

It was nearing ten o'clock when Wally finally trudged back in, back in his regular clothes, but still grimy and bruised. Mary's lips twisted, but all she said was, "Do I need to break out the first aid kit, sweetie?"

"No mom. It's just some bruising. Grodd was actually kind of nice today. Didn't stop him from fighting back when we tried to take him to jail and them minion talking gorillas of his were not anywhere near as nice as him. Can you believe they threw poop at me? Since when do gorillas do that to humans? Since when do  _talking gorillas_  do that to superheroes?" Wally shook his head.

Rudy exaggeratedly wrinkled his nose, "Is that what that smell is? Ugh, no wonder you stink. You go and have a shower young man."

"Sure thing." Wally gave a mock salute and went up a couple steps at normal speed before stopping and turning back around, "I'm probably going to head right to bed after I shower."

Mary interrupted him with a frown, "Have you done your homework?"

"Shockingly enough, there wasn't any homework tonight. I know, I know. There's nothing that I've procrastinated on and there's nothing that was cruelly assigned today. Try not to be too shocked." Wally grinned as the two adults rolled their eyes fondly. He waved to them, "Night Mom. Night Dad." And then he was gone, disappeared over the stairs and into his room. They could hear the shower going downstairs.

Rudy rolled his eyes, "Only our son comes home covered in gorilla poop after commenting on how nice the telepathic, talking gorilla was and we ask him about homework."

Mary giggled, "Well, we always have been a strange family."

"You can say that again." Rudy said emphatically.

When he went to bed that night, he took no notice of the fact that the light was still on in Wally's room.

WTLWTLWTL

Morning dawned with the bright, sunlight shrouded haze that being able to wake up whenever on a weekend always came with. It was mid-morning, hinting towards the earlier half of mid-morning and Rudy was sleepily comfortable. The cold spot next to him on the bed and the warm smell of bacon told Rudy that his wife had already started making breakfast. Honestly, that was probably what had woken him up. That was how most weekend mornings went in the West household. Mary always woke up first because she was crazy and still woke up early on the weekends and then she would have some me-time before she started making breakfast. It never failed to wake the two men of the house up. Unless, of course, Wally had been called out late during the night and had come home very early in the morning, in which case only the smells of lunch woke him up then.

Yawning, Rudy stretched and moved his way out of bed. He scratched at his chin, eyes closing as he yawned. Sunlight streamed through the crack under Wally's door, but it was still firmly shut. He was probably just getting some last moments of relaxation in before he came down for breakfast. Rudy couldn't blame him honestly. When he was a teenager, he never left his room before noon.

Finally reaching the kitchen, Rudy pulled his wife into a hug, burying his nose in her hair and kissing the crown of her head as she wrapped her arms around him. He rested his head on hers and smiled, "Breakfast smells delicious, babe."

"Not as delicious as breakfast on that couple's cruise I was promised is going to be." She hinted.

Rudy laughed, "Of course, of course. I'll book it right after breakfast. I'm just going to check with Wally first and see if he can get someone to stay with during the time."

"Oh, you know your sister will always take him in." Mary rolled her eyes, waving a spoon to emphasize her point.

"It's still nice to ask." Rudy reminded her, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

Mary's head suddenly turned upwards, and she mock frowned, "What is that lazy boy doing? He's always down here by now. Did he get called away during the night and we didn't hear it?"

"We normally hear it." Rudy said. He quickly set out the plates and kissed Mary on the temple, "I'll go get him."

"Better hurry up! You know how eggs get cold!" Mary called out to him as he continued on his way, waving behind him to show that he heard her.

He knocked on Wally's door, calling out, "C'mon Wally, up and at'm! The day's getting bright and you can't stay there all day." He paused before continuing a little more worriedly, "Son? Wally? Your mother made a big breakfast today. Wally… you're worrying me here a little." Did he forget to put out a note that said that he'd been called somewhere and wouldn't be back in time for breakfast? He'd never done it before, but there was always a first time for everything.

Frowning in real concern this time, Rudy opened the door, pushing through. He glanced around the room, noting the dirtiness without the usual irritation that came with the sight.

Shaking his head, Rudy walked further into the room.

He immediately wished he hadn't.

His knees dropped out from beneath him. His hands were shaking. Almost without even processing the scene, there were tears slipping out of the corners of his eyes. He was gasping for breath. His hands were clenched in his hair. No. No. No, no, no, nononononono.

Mary's worried voice was what finally broke through the haze. Rudy could hear her on the landing and he gasped, lurching to his feet and almost overbalancing. He couldn't let her see this. There was no way she could see this. It would break her heart.

He was almost to the door when Mary bustled in. Her eyes settled on his grief-stricken countenance for a brief instance before skipping around the room. Rudy lunged for her, determined to keep her away, but her eyes fell on the scene before he could stop her.

He could, however, catch her when she fell like he had. He couldn't stop the scream that came out and he couldn't stop the trembling sobs that overtook her. Hands furiously shaking, Rudy gently deposited her on the floor and pressed Wally's phone into her hands. His voice rough with tears and heartbreak and… and…, he told her, "Call Barry.  _Call Barry_."

Rudy stumbled over to… to… oh God. Oh  _God_. That couldn't be his son. That… that wasn't his son. That wasn't the son he loved with every fiber in his being. That wasn't the son that had poop flung at him yesterday. This was someone else's kid. This couldn't really be happening to Rudolph West. He'd just gotten a promotion yesterday. That was supposed to be the start of something beautiful in this family. It was supposed to be amazing. This… this wasn't amazing.

This was heartbreak and  _pain_  and so much  _pain_. Why? Why, why, why? This wasn't happening.

Hands shaking and vision so blurred by tears he could barely see, Rudy righted the stool and grabbed Wally – grabbed his  _body,_ oh  _God_  – before untying the… the…  _noose_. He pulled Wally's cold,  _cold_ body down from its suspension.

This wasn't his son. This couldn't be Wally. This…  _Wally_. No, not  _Wally_. This happened to other people. This didn't… his son was a  _hero_. There was nothing that ever suggested that Wally was unhappy. Well, he had been, but they'd figured that out! Or… had Wally still been feeling neglected? Jesus, this was all his fault. He did this. He… Rudy did this. Oh god,  _Wally_.

A furious pounding at the door startled Rudy, caused Mary to let out a particularly loud cry of grief. Rudy had to clear his throat twice before he could shout, "Wally's room!" Oh God, even saying his name out loud. Wally.  _Wally_.

There was the sound of Barry vibrating through their door and then, almost instantaneously there was another presence in the room. Rudy never turned around to see him, but he knew the moment Barry saw the rope hanging from the ceiling and the stool next to it, knew the moment Barry saw the body in Rudy's arms.

Lightning crackled in the room and Barry was there, never trying to take Wally from Rudy, but performing his examination from next to Rudy, knees pressed into the carpeting and jacket still slightly smoking from the run.

The wild desperation that had been haloing Barry's eyes drained away as he sat back, hands shaking almost as bad as Rudy's. His voice was hollow, broken, so completely unlike the Barry that Rudy knew that he almost didn't recognize the voice. He said monotonously, "He's gone, Rudy. He's gone."

Rudy stared with wide eyes at his son – at his beautiful, wonderful,  _happy_  son. There had been no hint, no sign, no indication of… of – of sui – suicidal thoughts. That just wasn't Wally. That  _wasn't his son_.

His attention snapped back to the man in front of him when Barry started talking, eyes not quite focused and luster completely gone, "I'll… I'll take care of everything I can. I'll call the… the… I'll call the coroner. And I'll handle as much of the funeral as I can. I won't take the decisions away from you, but I'll set the meetings and the days. I don't want you to have to do anything you don't have to. Iris and I will take some of the financial burden too."

"Will you just shut up?" Rudy said, voice hoarse, soul numb. Barry reeled back a little bit, startled. He swallowed painfully – would it ever not be painful again? – and blinked furiously, "Will you just  _shut up_? You don't have to be a hero all the time, Barry. You don't have to be strong."

Mary's voice was just as hoarse and shattered, "You never have to be strong for us, Barry. I'll call the… coroner. You call Iris. I know you… need to… to talk to her."

Rudy didn't move. He wasn't sure he could anymore. He wasn't sure he ever would again.

He looked down at his son's face. By now, it was soaked in tears, but it was still tinged blue, the lips darkened significantly. His eyes were closed. His huge, green, expressive eyes were closed. Last night when Wally said that he loved them was the last time that Rudy would ever see those green eyes other than in pictures. And pictures were a sad shade of those emerald windows.

His last sight of his son had been a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. There had been smudges of poop painted over his cheeks with one long streak going over his chin and down his neck. His hair had been bright and wind-swept and there had been little leaves stuck in it. He had smiled that little, bright smile that had always meant that he was just so happy that he didn't even know how to fully express it.

That was what that smile had always meant.

But last night, Wally smiled that smile and then went upstairs and killed himself.

The next few weeks passed in an endless blur.

First there was the coroner and the police. It was a lucky thing they'd brought the police because the man had needed to tear Rudy away from his son's body, whispering over and over again how sorry he was.

Next there was Iris, who had been driving from Central City since Barry had first started his phone call. Barry had managed to usher Mary and Rudy to the living room. He hadn't commented on the stuffed animal that Mary had stolen from the bed and now had cuddled in her arms, nor on the picture that was crumpled in Rudy's fist. Iris had come in like a storm, all restless, bustling energy and broken-hearted hugs. Everyone had properly cried in that room at that moment.

Then there was the funeral director. Rudy remembered picking out Wally's favorite flowers, but he couldn't remember much else beyond that. He would be honest and say that he wasn't even sure what type of stone they were using for Wally's headstones. There was just an endless litany of  _dead, dead, he's dead, he committed suicide, dead, he killed himself, my_ _ **son**_  running through his head, over and over and over again. He wasn't sure if it would ever go away.

After that there was the close friends and family. Robin was there first, almost bowling over the funeral director in his haste to get in. He'd watched them all with a wild look on that masked face. At a nod from Barry, he'd crumpled to the ground, listless. Rudy didn't think he'd cried – at least, not there in front of them. Robin curled into a ball right there on the ground and Rudy was sure that he wasn't going to leave (he wasn't sure if he would have even cared), but then Batman came creeping in silently, startling almost all of them except the listless boy on the ground. The man never said a word. He just collected his unresisting sidekick in his arms and left. Rudy would find out the next day that all of the funeral bills had been paid in full by a mysterious benefactor.

Artemis was next. She'd knocked tentatively on the door, eyes wide and drawn and entirely too hopeful for the situation. The instant her eyes had locked on the scene in the living room, though, that hope died. It was almost too painful to watch. She stayed for a while and offered quiet introductions and even quieter condolences, never able to explain what had brought her to the door when she was barely even friends with their son. Rudy suspected that Wally's crush hadn't been as one-sided as he'd thought. She promised them that she'd perform the task of bringing the news and the funeral invitations to the Team that night. After she left, Barry commented on how heartbreaking it was to see such a spitfire run dry. Mary had cried for hours.

Hal, Oliver, Dinah, and Roy came after her. They had come to offer their condolences and find solace in the company of others who hurt like they hurt. It was the first time Rudy had seen Hal without a smile on his face. It was the first time Rudy had seen Olive and Roy be in the same room and not fight. Rudy briefly thought that Wally would be proud of them, but that thought quickly spiraled into a sucker punch of depression in addition to the overwhelming, suffocating  _grief_.

Finally, there was the funeral. There were so many people. Rudy wanted to find the fact that Wally's school friends were so shocked by the number of people there funny, but he couldn't. It had taken Wally  _years_  to find friends in the public-school system, but he'd eventually found a close few. With the superheroes, though, Wally had fit in immediately. He had been instantly accepted by these people who started calling him family within weeks. They always said it was something about his speedster charm and his always cheerful personality. Rudy bet they were taking those comments back right about now.

All throughout the proceeds and his speech and the burial, Rudy felt like he was drowning. He felt like his soul was being torn to pieces. He felt like there was nothing left. He felt like… he felt like… he didn't feel. He didn't know how. How could he possibly feel when his son was gone? How?

It wasn't long after the funeral when Rudy found himself back in his old habits of drinking problems away. That turned into his old habit of drinking to drink. That turned into his old habit of being a useless alcoholic.

It wasn't long after that when Mary filed for a divorce.

It wasn't long after that when work reluctantly took away his promotion.

It wasn't long after that when he was fired.

It wasn't long after that when he followed in his son's footsteps.

WTLWTLWTL

Wally gasped, yanking back from Nabu's grip, breathing hard.

Nabu stared back at Wally, a superhero suit suspended in the dark of dreams. Wally hissed, "What  _is_  this? I told you that you couldn't have my body right now."

Even without eyes, Nabu seemed to glare at the teenager, voice sharp, "You may not currently be my host, but you are currently my best option and I will not have you throwing your life away." Wally was about to interrupt him, but Nabu continued on, heedless, "This was a warning. What you just saw was the future. On the track you were going without my interference, that  _is_  what would have happened starting when you wake up. Do not attempt to tell me that you weren't thinking about this."

Wally clenched his fists and tried to keep down his dinner as the sight of his father with a self-inflicted hole in his head swam into his vision, unbidden. Nabu's voice was slightly softer – a hint of Kent Nelson's influence shining on the surface – when he spoke again, "Why would you want to kill yourself, Wallace Rudolph West?"

Wild red hair shaking, Wally shook his head and refused to answer. Nabu sighed, "In that future, your father could not understand why you decided on suicide. That was one of the things that lead to his own downfall. You never left a note. You never told them  _why_." He paused as if expecting Wally to say something, but the slight teen didn't say a word, eyes tightly closed. Nabu continued ruthlessly, "He did not understand what it is like to be a teenager in this day and age. It is harder for you. There are more expectations. You are doing  _work_  at all hours of all day. You wake up and get ready for school. You go to school. You come home and do homework. The unlucky ones work for a living in between. The truly unlucky ones save lives in between. There is no time to sit down and be yourself. There is no time to accept a friend's help."

He settled a gloved hand on Wally's shoulder, "Expectations say that depression is something taboo and unspeakable. No one feels comfortable talking about it, so no one does, and it eats away at teenager's hearts. Depression is a sickness, Wally, and a common one. No one begrudges a person for seeking help when they have the flu, or pneumonia. Those are sicknesses. So is depression. And, therefore, no one should begrudge you for seeking help."

Nabu moved around and pulled a picture out of Wally's mind, an image of him relaxing with the rest of the Team, "It would be better if you sought professional aid, but there is aid right here as well. Each and every friend is a source of healing. You could find your groomsmen in that picture right there. These people are willing to give their lives for you day in and day out. They have seen you do some truly embarrassing things. Do you truly think so little of them that you would believe that they would leave you if you were sick? Do you truly think that of them? Your friends are there for you. They can help. You do not have to be alone if you just open yourself up and talk to them."

Nabu finished with a bowed head and a fading blackness, "Depression is a deadly sickness, but it can be cured. Let people help."

Wally woke up to his Dad calling, "Hey, Wally!" He peeked out from beneath a veritable mountain of pillows and thought to himself, this was his second chance. Nabu had given him a future when he'd thrown his own away. This was his second chance to get himself help and to not let depression get the better of him. He would never, ever let his future end in suicide again. Never.

**Author's Note:**

> A while ago at school, we had the founder of the Will to Live foundation come and speak to us and he was an amazing speaker and had an amazing impact on me and he made me want to write this. If you don't know what the Will to Live Foundation is, you should definitely look into it because it's a really amazing thing. Also, I know Nabu is OOC, but he's the only one I could think of where this scenario would make sense. Anyways, everything Nabu said was basically what that speaker said at school to our assembly. It honestly broke my heart and changed my life. I just want to spread the message as far as I can. And please, if you think that there are no friends around you for you to talk about, please know that I'm here. If there's no one else, there's always me. I hope you got out of this fic what I got out of that assembly.


End file.
